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Pesto Chicken Pasta

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Ingredients
  

  • 1 lb chicken breast
  • 1 lb whole wheat penne
  • 1 7oz container mascarpone cheese
  • 1 7oz container store bought pesto (I used Trader Joe's Genova Pesto)
  • 1/2 cup packed baby spinach approx 2/3 of a 6oz bag
  • 6 sun-dried tomatoes sliced
  • salt & pepper

Instructions
 

  • Lightly pound out the chicken to an even thickness. Season with salt & pepper. Grill on medium high heat until cooked through.
  • Boil pasta according to box instructions.
  • Set aside 1 cup of pasta water before draining pasta. Drain pasta, do not rinse.
  • Toss hot pasta with cheese, spinach, and sun-dried tomatoes to melt cheese and wilt spinach. Slowly add 1/4 cup of hot pasta water at a time until cheese is thinned out enough to create a "sauce". Season with salt and pepper to taste.
  • Drizzle with pesto and top with grilled sliced chicken.

Notes

Notes: I did not have full containers of mascarpone or pesto, so I used what I had, which was approximately 3/4 of each package. Using a full container would be fine.
I did not use the entire cup of pasta water, only about 1/2 cup. Slowly add it until you have your desired consistency and toss any leftover.